LimboConsole: in-game dev console

A simple and easy-to-use in-game dev console with a command interpreter for Godot Engine 4.

It supports auto-completion with TAB for commands and history, auto-correction, inline hints and highlighting, command help text generation, argument parsing for basic types, aliases, custom theming, and more.

This plugin is currently in development, so expect breaking changes.

How to use

🛈 LimboConsole can be added as a Git submodule

Place the source code in the res://addons/limbo_console/ directory, and enable this plugin in the project settings, then reload the project. Toggle the console with the GRAVE ACCENT key (aka backtick - the key to the left of the 1 key). This can be changed in the Input Map tab in the project settings.

Adding a new command is quite simple:

func _ready() -> void:
    LimboConsole.register_command(multiply)

func multiply(a: float, b: float) -> void:
    LimboConsole.info("a * b: " + str(a * b))

The example above adds a command that multiplies two numbers and prints the result (type multiply 2 4). Additionally, you can specify a name and a description:

LimboConsole.register_command(multiply, "multiply", "multiply two numbers")

Several basic types are supported for command arguments, such as bool, int, float, String and Vector{2,3,4} types. To enter a Vector2 argument, enclose its components in parentheses, like this: (1 2). String arguments can also be enclosed in double quotation marks ".

Autocompletion works for both command names and history. It can also be implemented for specific command arguments, as shown in the following example:

LimboConsole.register_command(teleport, "teleport", "teleport to site on this level")
LimboConsole.add_argument_autocomplete_source("teleport", 1,
        func(): return ["entrance", "caves", "boss"]
)

For a dynamically generated list of autocomplete values, the code could look like this:

LimboConsole.add_argument_autocomplete_source("teleport", 1,
        func(): return get_tree().get_nodes_in_group("teleportation_site").map(
                func(node): return node.name)
)

Methods and properties

Some notable methods and properties:

• LimboConsole.enabled
• LimboConsole.register_command(callable, command_name, description)
• LimboConsole.unregister_command(callable_or_command_name)
• LimboConsole.add_alias(alias_name, command_name)
• LimboConsole.info(text_line)
• LimboConsole.error(text_line)
• LimboConsole.warning(text_line)
• LimboConsole.toggle_console()
• LimboConsole.add_argument_autocomplete_source(command_name, argument, callable)
• LimboConsole.execute_script(path, silent)

This is not a complete list. For the rest, check out limbo_console.gd.

Configuration

Options can be modified in the project-specific configuration file located at res://addons/limbo_console.cfg. This file is stored outside the plugin's directory to support adding the plugin as a Git submodule.

LimboConsole also supports UI theming. Simply duplicate the default_theme.tres file and rename it to limbo_console_theme.tres. The file path is important - it should be located at res://addons/limbo_console_theme.tres. You can change this location in the config file. Open the theme resource in Godot to customize it for your game. Console text colors can be adjusted in the ConsoleColors category.

Scripting

You can execute simple scripts containing a sequence of commands:

exec lcs/my_script.lcs

Simple rules:

• Commands must be provided in the same syntax as in the prompt, with each command on a separate line.
• The script must exist at the specified path, either in the res:// or user:// directory.
• The script must have the .lcs extension, but when running the exec command, you can omit the extension in the command line.
• A line that starts with a '#' is treated as a comment and is not executed as part of the script.

You can have a script execute automatically every time the game starts. There is a special script called user://autoexec.lcs that runs each time the game starts. This can be customized in the configuration file.